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A Tribute of Love on the first death anniversary of our
dear Rev. Fr Abraham Panampara SDB
Jose Kollithanath Joseph SDB
Very Rev. Fr Provincial, dear Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, family members of beloved Fr. Abraham and my dear friends,
The noon of 11 June 2012, saw the demise of a legend in the field of education and evangelization. Fr Abraham Panampara, the vibrant and efficient educator and evangelizer passed away in the afternoon of that day. It marked the end of a remarkable salesian priest, whose long tenure as a salesian missionary, effective educator, great lover of the poor spanned half a century and more: a life that moulded the life and destiny of numerous people of the two states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Affectionately, Father was also called P.E Abraham and Perappan.
The salesian anthem contains these words: `we are salesians, we are of the Lord. Smile on our faces, joy in our hearts’. This was very true of Fr Abraham as he was a zealous and loyal son of Don Bosco, a large-hearted human being, an affectionate father, a jovial friend, a zealous missionary, a person who valued and cherished relationships, a lover of the poor, an effective manager of people, and a committed religious. Like Don Bosco he was a salesian priest, always and everywhere. The religious tone of his life was clear in his Nathanael like simplicity, utter humility and spontaneous joy and humour (One day a group some of my friends and myself paid a visit to Fr. Abraham when he was in Ponnur. Father was not well that day. Since there was a lot of dust in his room, we expressed our wish to clean up the room. Then Fr. Abraham with his sweet smile said, “Your heart has more dust than my room”).
One would always find Fr Abraham with eyes and ears open to help out the poor, those in need: when he was 18 years as professor and Principal at Tirupattur college and the rest of his life in the Salesian mission centres of Andhra Pradesh. God endowed Fr Abraham with a large heart, a strong will and an indomitable determination to live and work for Jesus Christ.
His presence was never a passive presence among the students and teachers in the college, among the people in various mission centres and among the confreres, but always an animating presence encouraging and enabling others. He always had the right word for them. He had a lot of inborn qualities which attracted people. The vivacity he demonstrated, and the admirable broadmindedness he displayed were only part of the magnetic charisma he possessed. Everybody wanted to be his friend. He had no enemies. He left an indelible mark on the lives ofnot only Salesians but also diocesan priests, bishops of Andhra Pradesh, religious men and women, catechists, pastors of various denominations, politicians, people of other religions and many people with his very spontaneous and natural style. There was no guile in him and he was genuine in his relationships. As Fr Sunderbabu of Guntur diocese says: “it was a pleasure to be in his company and without him we feel the absence of something indispensable; his heart-warming presence”.
Violets are recognized by the strong fragrance they emit. They give joy to all who pass by, thereby fulfilling the very purpose of their existence in nature. Their heady perfume captures the attention of passers-by. All those who are sensitive to the beauty of nature will go in search of these violets, which are always found under the leaves. Our dear Fr Abraham was a sweet-scented violet which God created in the garden of the Panampara family. Devine providence then transplanted him into the Salesian Family to fulfil His plan.
Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”(Matt 5:16). That is what Fr Abraham did in the course of his whole life.
There have been politicians, Popes and other leaders who have been awarded the covetous title great. Fr. P.E Abraham deserves the title 'significant': he was simply good Fr PE. He radiated goodness and kindness. He was good and did good. He did good to one and all. He helped people to be good. That summarises his life.
He was, indeed, a man of God. That is what mission is about. He was for this reason an outstanding missionary. His novitiate companion Fr Mathew Pulingathil senior, a former Provincial whom I happened to meet during a retreat at Attapadi, Kerala, says, “If there was anyone who could honestly say, Da mihi animas, caeteratolle, that was Fr Abraham Panampara.” This was his outstanding accomplishment. There is nothing greater than this.
Speaking of Jesus gave Fr Abraham great satisfaction. He was, indeed, an example of priestly holiness and missionary zeal. At his funeral, Rev. Fr Balaswamy, our former provincial of Hyderabad said:“Our Dear Fr Abraham Panampara is the St Paul of Andhra Pradesh.” Today I would like to pitch my reflection on this very thought.
The reasons for the effectiveness of Fr Abraham Panampara the Evangelizer
1. Resilience in the midst of Trials and difficulties
On reading the Lucan narrative and the Pauline letters one immediately notices that Paul does not lament over the sufferings that he had to endure for the sake of the Gospel. Like Paul the evangelizer Fr Abraham viewed suffering as a necessary element of his apostolic activity.
Fr Abraham’s optimistic attitude in the midst of his ordeals and sufferings had much to do with the effectiveness of his apostolic endeavour. His life was a witness to the fact that he believed in the words of Jesus who chose him as his apostle and emissary: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it does, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24).
2. Yearning for Numerical Growth
Like Paul the evangelizer Fr Abraham considered baptism as an absolute necessity to incorporate individuals, families and groups into the community of believers. In Luke’s account Paul deemed it necessary to have visible membership in the church that would be manifested in the giving and acceptance of baptism. For Fr Abraham Baptism is not merely an external rite. It has important implications. Baptism called for a removal of disunity and differences among the various groups.
Fr Abraham who perceived the importance of numerical growth made it a point to have the Gospel proclaimed at all times and everywhere and to everyone. Paul would proclaim the gospel in Synagogus, in homes, in the market, at the Areopagus where the top brass met, while unloading cargo, in prison etc. He would proclaim from dusk to dawn (Acts 20:7-12), from dawn to dusk (Acts 28:23). Fr Abraham followed the same spirit of Paul in his ministry. The consequence of such an approach by Fr Abraham and about 600 catechists both men and women whom he trained helped the increase of believers in all over Andhra Pradesh more specially in the mission substations of PT Parru, Ponnur and Kollapur which were started by him with the help of the catechists.
3. The Sense of Solidarity
Christianity was not limited to one’s relationship with God. Relationship has also a horizontal dimension besides the vertical one. Fr Abraham constantly spoke of the need for being sensitive to the needs of others. Such an outlook on life combined with an understanding of one’s faith brought about greater effectiveness in his ministry.
4. Inclusive Mentality
Fr Abraham's openness to all groups in fidelity to the commission given by Jesus became the secret behind his effectiveness as a missionary.
5. Centrality of God
Fr Abraham gave priority to God above everything. He was quite sure that the success of the mission was a grace of God. His knowledge and love of Jesus made him commit himself totally to his calling. When he came to the missions of Andhra Pradesh he was so fascinated by the person of Jesus that all his previous achievements and credentials as professor and Principal seemed to him as “Refuse”. He firmly believed in the power of prayer for efficacy of the proclamation. This focus of Fr Abraham was perhaps the most important factor underlying the success of his missionary undertakings.
6. Relentless Proclamation of the Word
His proclamation was no haphazard proclamation. Like Paul he was passionate about the proclamation of the word. As a true missionary he did not preach himself. He did not preach to please people nor out of self glory or greed or for any worldly gain. He was a servant and an ambassador of the word. He was effective in his proclamation also because he was knowledgeable. He gave not only the Gospel but his very life for his believers.His manner of life among them was holy, righteous and blameless.
He knew how to handle the word. His presentation was well-reasoned and he was not afraid to engage the minds of his hearers. His exhortations and teachings were charged with an eschatological orientation. This orientation contributed to the effectiveness of his ministry.
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. Ability to involve others in Pastoral work
Like the apostle Paul he involved priests, religious men and women, lay persons both men and women in the task of planting the Church. At different moments, he spoke extensively about various charisms with which individuals were gifted. These charisms were meant precisely for building up communities.
He spoke in glowing terms of those who co-operated with him especially the catechists for the spread of the gospel.
To Conclude
We have examined some of the more important factors that made Fr Abraham Panampara effective as an evangelizer. It is the cumulative effect of these various factors that will bring about effectiveness in missionary activity and pastoral work. Fr Abraham’s manner of life among the people was not less important in making his ministry effective. He had become a “model” to his communities.
Nothing lasts in this world, and yet death always seems remote to us, when we are young. We never give a thought to it, because somehow in our eyes, we are immortal. The Thirukkural says that time is but a sword, which keeps cutting away at life. Only one who is generous with his resources can be considered to be alive. The rest may be alive, but must be reckoned dead, he says. The body is just a lodging place for the soul. Therefore, let good deeds be donebefore the last hiccups of a person take over, before the tongue is silenced and death finally ends this life.
Fr Abraham preached the good news till the end by what he said, did, lived and showed by his death. He was the true messenger of his master. It is said that the messenger is the message. He was the messenger and at the same time he was the message.
Fr Abraham is one of the best descriptions for Christianity that I have known. As we remember him with gratitude and pray for the repose of his soul let us remember the words of our Holy Father. Speaking to the Cardinals on the second day of his papacy Pope Francis said:
“When we walk without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we proclaim Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord.”
The memory of Fr Abraham is a call to celebrate, to audit and to focus. It is a call to celebrate our Christian life, Religious life and priestly life. Secondly it is a call to make an internal audit of our very life and finally it is a call to stay focused in our journey of faith. Thus, we may become better descriptions for Christianity drawing inspiration from the life of our dear Fr Abraham Panampara, a pioneer salesian missionary of Andhra Pradesh.
